


Long Time No See (2)

by MysticRenegade



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26202187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticRenegade/pseuds/MysticRenegade
Summary: A story I decided to write about my girl Moonlight and Shadow the Hedgehog. I used parts of a very old, and deleted rp from a long time ago. I've been writing this for a few years, and I wanted to try and expand on their relationship more, and build upon the very last rp I had with a Shadow roleplayer. It was an...interesting rp, and I just wanted to do something better for them than the shit storm that got them broken up. Shadence and Fabian are apart of my Forces AU, but I decided to use them for this story as well because they're used for the same reasons.Moonlight and Shadow had been apart for a year. Previous actions from Shadow had caused a divide in their relationship. He left. Without any notice. Moonlight moved on, but not emotionally. Unfortunately fate decided to be against her, and bring him in her path once more.MOONLIGHT FIREHEART, SHADENCE WOLF, AND FABIAN FOX BELONG TO ME.SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG AND SONIC THE HEDGEHOG BELONG TO SEGA.
Relationships: Moonlight/Shadow





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> We love angst and the possibility of death. :)

The next morning, Moonlight woke up to the sun. Groaning as she reached for the strings of the blinds and pulling them to block out the sun. She sat up in her bed and yawned. Afterwards, she stood up and trudged towards the bathroom. She was about to open the door, when it was opened from the other side. Steam hit her face, and dissipated as it revealed Shadow on the other side. She stood there for a moment and stared at him with a faint shade of pink across her face. He was wearing only a towel. He stared back, a shade of pink creeping across his face as well. He held onto his towel and ran his hand through his quills. “Um, good morning.” She quickly turned towards the stairs and walked down them. He blinked a few times, and watched her stomp back up the stairs, hand him his clothes, push him back into the bathroom and close the door.   
She stood in her room, her eyes closed and her foot tapping against the wooden floor. When she thought that he was out of the bathroom, she opened the door to see Shadow on the other side and jumped back at the sight of him. He was just about to knock on the door, standing there with his arm in the air and without a shirt. She noticed this, her eye twitching slightly and her face becoming a very dark red. “...why don't you have a shirt on...?”  
“I put it in the washing machine because it wasn’t very clean. I was actually about to ask if you had a shirt or something for me to wear.” He rubbed his neck nervously. She walked over to her drawer, pulling out the first thing she grabbed and walking back, handing it to him and sighing. He took it and put it on as he walked away, Moonie walking out of her room and into the bathroom. 

After taking her shower and getting dressed, she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen to find herself something to eat. “Um, Moonlight?” She sighed quietly, “What is it Shadow...?” She didn’t hear him respond, making her shut the refrigerator door, and make her way over to the living room with her arms folded. “What do you-” She looked at her t.v. screen, seeing that a man was on it, and he didn’t look very happy. “Hello, Agent Moon.” She walked towards the t.v., gaining a stern glare from her new house guest. She looked over at him, Shadow raising a brow at her and folding his arms as well, making her roll her eyes at him and bring her attention back to the screen. “Hello chief...”  
He glanced between the two, raising a brow at them and letting out a soft sigh. “Well, since the two of you are together at the moment, you wouldn’t mind me assigning you two the same mission, right?” They looked at each other, the chief sensing the negative tension between the two hedgehogs, even though he fully knew that they weren’t on the best of terms at the time. They stared at each other for a little while, exchanging deadly glares for a few minutes and almost forgetting about their chief as if they were having a silent argument. Soon, they turned their attention away from each other, bringing it back to their chief and nodded, signaling for him to continue. He nodded, “Alright. I need you two to track down a thief known as Shadence. She’s been known to steal very valuable things, including certain other worldly items from the government.”  
“She sounds familiar...didn’t she work for G.U.N before?” Moonie questioned. He nodded, “She did, originally calling herself by her original name, Cadence. She changed it once she was corrupted by her first robbery, making us have to automatically dismiss her from G.U.N. Her whereabouts of her next heist are here in Empire City. You must catch and bring her back to G.U.N, before she retrieves this artifact, the chaos emerald.” The picture appeared on the screen, making both of their eyes grow wide. The chief appeared back on screen with a raised brow, “Think you two can handle the task?”  
“Yes sir.”  
“Alright, I expect good news from two of my top agents.”  
“We’ll get the job done, sir.” The chief nodded and blinked out, returning the t.v. to the program before he had appeared.   
Moonlight sighed as she ran her fingers through her quills, walking over to the stairs and climbing them before Shadow had anything to say to her. He stood there and watched her walk up the stairs, an angered expression plastered on his face as he waited for her to come back down. I can’t believe her...and she never told me...?   
Soon, he got tired of waiting for her and walked up the stairs himself, walking to her room and opening the door, only to see that she wasn’t inside. He raised a brow at this, fully walking inside and looking around to see if she was hiding anywhere. “Moonlight...?” A smirk had begun to creep across his face as he walked around the room, “Are you hiding, Moonie~? Because if you are, you know me well enough to know that I can-”  
“If you’re done intruding in my room, we should get going.” He jumped at the sound of her voice, turning around to see her in the doorway with her arms folded. She had changed from her casual clothing to something that looked like she got straight from a spy movie. Her quills tied into a high ponytail and she wore an all black jumpsuit. Boots to complete the look. She stood in the doorway, putting on her glove and rolling her eyes when she saw him just staring at her. She walked up to him and closed his mouth. “Don’t keep that open. You’ll catch flies.” She then turned to the door, stopping in the doorway again and glancing over her shoulder at him, “Ya comin’ or not...?” He blinked a few times, breaking himself from his trance and nodding. He followed her out of the room, down the stairs and towards the door. “Do you always wear that on missions?”  
“Yes, I do.” She glanced over her shoulder as she grabbed the doorknob, “Is that a problem...?” He looked at her with a hint of irritation in his eyes, shaking his head and following her out of the house.

~

Hours later, they had gotten off of the plane, and arrived in Empire City. It was night when they had arrived, the lights of the city glowing a few miles away. Moon looked down at her wrist once she had felt it vibrate, tapping the screen to reveal a map with a blinking red dot. “She’s in the city, and on the move as we speak. We need to move.”  
She was about to walk away, until Shadow grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to his side and snapping his fingers, making them appear on the roof of a building. She sighed as she yanked her wrist out of his grasp, walking to the edge of the roof and looked over it, looking at the city and people below. “She has to be somewhere. She has to be...”  
“We’ll find her. But until then, I’d like to know when the hell you started working for G.U.N, and decided to never tell me...” She didn’t answer him, too busy swiping the hologram screen of her communicator and trying to find their target. His growl was low as he placed a hand on her shoulder, not gripping it but holding it firmly so that she knew that he wasn’t letting go. “Moonlight, I want an explanation. The commander could’ve paired the two of us at any given time, but he hasn’t and he knew the fact that you were associated with G.U.N in the first place...”  
“I’m not telling you that, now shut up so I can think for a goddamn second!” He jumped slightly when she raised her voice, making him quickly let go when her glowing eyes pierced his soul.   
Suddenly, they quickly leaned away from each other after hearing a gunshot, something flying in between them and landing on the far side of the roof. They looked at each other and stood there for a little while, frozen in place and waiting for any sign of movement along the roofs. Bang! Another gunshot ran through the air. “Moonie!” Shadow had noticed where the bullet was headed and grabbed Moonlight, and pulled her into his chest. A split second after, the bullet flew through the space that she had just been standing in. Moonlight clung onto his chest fur for a while, until she finally noticed that she was still in his arms, looking up at him for a moment, their eyes meeting. He sighed, “Are you okay...?”  
“Y-Yeah, I'm fine...but we need to get down.” She nodded and pulled herself out of his embrace. They both laid down, becoming less visible to their shooter. She lifted her arm, facing the screen out towards the open, a red light running over the rooftops and shutting off once it was done.   
They looked at the screen, seeing the red dot blinking a few feet away from them. She whispered to herself, “She’s in front of us...” They slowly peeked out from behind the ledge, seeing a dark figure standing on the building across from them. It was still for a moment, turning its head every now and then as if it was searching for something. Finally, it turned its back and walked away. Moonie sighed, laying on her back and running her fingers through her quills. “Holy shit...”  
“Maybe we were almost killed because of that mouth of yours...” Shadow grunted. She darted her eyes in his direction, flicking his arm and flicking his forehead. He winced, rubbing his forehead and growling to himself. “Well I’m telling the truth! You were very loud!” She ignored him, scanning the area again to see if Shadence was anywhere in range of their location. Unfortunately, nothing appeared on the screen to show that she was even in the vicinity. Moonlight sighed, turning off her communicator and slumping against the edge of the roof. “Well she’s not here anymore...c’mon. I bet the commander got us somewhere to stay...”

Following the location given to them by the commander, the pair reached a luxurious hotel, walking inside and over to the front desk. She tapped the bell, the woman behind the counter saying to them in a cheery voice, “I’ll be just a moment~!” Shadow was growing impatient, about to ring the bell again until Moonlight grabbed his wrist, and forcing his arm back to his side. He quickly turned his head towards her, staring daggers until she looked up at him and her blue eyes were glowing vibrantly. He grunted, turning his head away from her and letting out a soft huff. The woman behind the counter finally turned around, and clapped her hands together and gave the pair a bright, welcoming smile. “Well, now that you have my attention, how may I help you two?” She checked around them before leaning forward and whispering, “Roses and violets?”  
The woman’s eyes widened at the phrase, however it drew a blank with the ebony male next to her. The woman’s smile had also disappeared at the phrase, pushing up her glasses and clearing her throat. “O-Oh. You’re the two we were expecting tonight...um, before I take you to your room, the commander wanted me to tell you that he apologizes for the inconvenience regarding the room. Uh, please follow me.” The two glanced at each other with raised brows, looking back at the woman and following behind her.

After taking the elevator to the 4th floor and a two minute walk, they had arrived at their hotel room. The woman opened the door, gaining a long sigh from Shadow and an eye twitch from Moonlight. “Oh you’ve got to be fucking kidding me...” The room was a luxurious suite, one queen sized bed separate from the glamorous kitchen and balcony that came with the room. The woman bit her lip nervously and motioned them to walk inside. “Again, he sends his apologies and had forgotten about your...situation. And literally all of the other rooms have been taken by other residents.”  
“How the hell is that possible...?”  
“Um, well if you go up a block from here and take a right, you’ll find a casino parking lot, and Empire City’s most famous casino. Yeah, a lot of people were there tonight before you two arrived...”  
“Figures everyone wants to hit up a hotel so that they can-” Shadow was cut off by the sound of Moonlight clearing her throat. He looked over to see her staring daggers at him. “If you don’t want me to say a word about that comment you were about to finish, I advise you to hush...” He rolled his eyes and set his things down on the bed, and began unpacking a few clothes before heading into the bathroom. Moonlight sighed, “It’s fine Miss, it’s nothin’ on you.”  
“Well I hope you enjoy your stay.”  
“I really hope I get to.” She sighed. The woman motioned to the balcony when she was in the doorway, “Well if you ever get some time to yourself, there is a hot tub out there.” Her eyes widened in interest, looking out the door and gaining a giggle from the woman. “Have a nice stay Miss Fireheart.” She closed the door after her, Moonlight setting her things down on the bed as well and pulling out a bathing suit. She quickly changed into it, and headed out onto the balcony, turning on the hot tub and stepping inside once it was ready. She let out a sigh of content, feeling all of the problems of her life fading away. That is, until Shadow decided to make himself known in her presence. “What're you doing...?”   
She jumped and made water splash in his face in the process. She looked over at him with wide eyes, and let a giggle escape her lips at the sight of his wet face. His eye twitched slightly, “Don’t. Laugh.”  
That made her deny his command and begin to laugh, and fade into light giggles as he wiped his face off. “That only made it worse...and I was trying to relax, until you came out of nowhere and disturbed me. Is there something you need?” He stood there for a moment, glancing from her and the jacuzzi before walking back into the room. She raised a brow as she watched him walk back into the room. She shrugged it off, closing her eyes and easing back into the peace and quiet, only to be brought back to reality when she heard the water, opening her eyes and finding Shadow on the other side. She sighed, folding her arms and closing her eyes once more to try and ignore the fact that he was there. He rested his arms on the sides of the tub, twirling his finger in the water as a soft sigh escaped his lips. “...you do realize that we’re not going to be able to stay here for long, right?” She didn’t answer him, only responding to her ear twitching to the sound of her communicator. In a flash of blue, she was at the bedside table, picking up her communicator and answering it. “Talk to me...”   
After a few minutes of talking on the phone, Moonlight walked back out to the balcony and climbed back into the hot tub, closing her eyes and ignoring the fact that Shadow had been staring at her since she got back. He raised a brow and folded his arms. “Was that the chief?”  
“Yeah. They lost her, so until they can pick up her location again, we’re off.” She yawned, stretching her arms and getting out of the hot tub once more. “I’m going to bed...” She walked back inside, and into the bathroom to take a shower. Shadow sat there for a few more minutes, messing with the bubbles in the water. He let out a soft sigh as he thought about the recent events. She was finally back in his life, but it was bittersweet. Still more so on the bitter side now that he thought about it. But he was determined to make things right. Although, he now knew it was going to be a bit harder than he had anticipated. A heavy sigh passed his lips, and he lifted himself out of the hot tub. When he finished turning off the machine, he walked in to see that she was already in bed. She looked so peaceful. Seeing her in such a calm state of mind caused him to smile, and walk over to her side of the bed. He noticed her ear piece still in, and gently took it off and placed it on the nightstand.   
After his shower, he stood in the doorway, and looked between the bed and the couch. He was at a crossroads. On one hand, he wanted to give her space and sleep on the couch. But on the other hand, every fiber of his being was telling him to get in bed. Just to be next to her, and to be somewhat close to her like they used to be. A few more minutes went by, and Shadow eventually found himself walking to the other side of the bed. He wiggled under the covers and turned over to see that she was facing him, sound asleep. He wanted to move closer, but his mind was practically screaming that that wasn’t a good idea. However, he found himself moving a bit closer anyway. She didn’t wake up, so he moved a bit closer. At this point they were only about one or two inches apart from each other. Feeling content about his choice, Shadow finally fell asleep.


	2. Long Time No See (3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Threats, mistakes, hair, and a bit of progress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this might be a really long ass chapter.  
> I am also going to start posting chapters from here on out to make my life easier.

The next morning, Moonlight groaned from the morning birds being so noisy outside of their window. She blinked her eyes open, and lifted herself up. In the process of doing so, she had woken Shadow up. Both hedgehogs rubbed their tired eyes, but stopped to look at each other. A light shade of red spread across both faces as they realized the scenario they were in. Moonlight was fully on top of Shadow. She used to do that when they were together. Old habits die hard. He blinked and gave her an almost flat, “Good morning.”  
“Um, morning...” After a few more minutes of just staring at each other, she finally realized that she was still on top of him. She quickly pushed herself off, grabbed some clothes, and darted into the bathroom without another word. He blinked a few times, a small smile making its way across his face. He honestly couldn’t help it. He missed waking up like that, and seeing her eyes. He decided to lay there in thought. Mostly because he had to wait for her to get out of the bathroom. For the past few days, different thoughts and emotions raced through his mind, but two things stayed prominent: Moonie was back in his life, and if he wanted to keep it that way, he had to do everything in his power to make things right between them. 

10 minutes passed, and she finally emerged from the bathroom. She was fully dressed, and looked more casual than she did on their mission last night. “I’m going out for awhile. I don’t know when I’ll be back, so please don’t try and follow me. Again.” He sat up and watched her gather her things. “I’m not going to do that again. But, would you like some company?”  
“...no. Not necessarily.” She walked out of the room. He sat there, and dropped his head into his knees. Shadow should have known that she didn’t want him around her, but it still hurt that he couldn’t be beside her for...not even a minute. But, he had to stay focused and positive. Besides, he did end up cuddling with her. Even if he was too deep in his sleep to feel or notice it. He stood up, and made his way to the bathroom. He wasn’t going to keep himself in the room feeling guilty and bored, so he was going to enjoy a day to himself.

Moonlight sat at the table of a café. She took a sip of her drink, and scanned the area. The citizens seemed fine, but she couldn’t find any sign of Shadence. The fact that she got away was extremely irritating to her. It wasn’t even her fault! The fact that Shadow had the absolute audacity to blame her for almost getting shot at, and even though he didn’t say it, Shadence getting away, made her blood boil. He was the one that kept pushing her and asking her questions. Even when he fully knew that she wasn’t allowed, and flat out wasn’t going to answer them. The thought of him just being in her life right now made her enraged, but that was her slow process of fully forgiving him for what he did. She took a deep breath, and calmed herself down. Nothing was going to get done if she was angry all the time, and she definitely wasn’t going to be able to have some peace if she continued to be angry. She relaxed in her seat, and took another sip of her drink.  
Now that she forced herself to relax, Moonlight felt a lot better. At first, she was going to look around and see if Shadence had decided to roam around undercover, but at this point she was too emotionally tired and drained to do that.  
“Mind if I join you?”  
Moonlight’s ears perked up at the sound of a woman’s voice. She turned to see a wolf sit in a chair on the other end of the table. She stared back at the hedgehog with the most devilish smirk, and it made Moonlight audibly growl. The woman chuckled, “Well, someone isn’t happy to see me.”  
“How else am I supposed to react? You almost shot me last night, and you betrayed the organization. Be happy that I even made eye contact with you.”  
“Aw don’t be like that dear. Maybe if you and the-living-knife didn’t interfere with my work, then I wouldn’t have to shoot you. And G.U.N can kiss my ass.”  
“What the hell do you want, Cadence...?”  
Shadence growled, “You know damn well that I don’t go by that anymore.”   
“Does it look like I give a shit at this point? No. So, I reiterate my question: what the hell do you want?” She asked again with a false smile.  
Shadence fiddled with her napkin and rested her head on her hand. “Nothing too important. Just want you and Shadow to back off before we have to do anything rash.”  
“We...?”  
“I shouldn’t have to explain that that means more than just me. You and Shadow have no idea what you’re getting into, and it’s all for a goddamn jewel.”  
“Um, one of the prime jewels of the whole damn planet, dear. I think we know exactly what we’re getting into. So cut the shit and get to the threat already. I’m tired, I’m irritated, and I want to arrest you as fast as possible so that I can go about my life.”  
“My my my, someone has gotten a lot more vulgar since I saw her...and I don’t think that would be wise.” She chuckled darkly.  
Moonlight raised a brow, “And why wouldn’t I? You’re right in front of me like a dumbass. Why not take advantage of that opportunity?”  
She didn’t verbally respond, but she did snap her fingers as a way of answering her question. The patrons sitting at the other tables turned towards their table and pointed guns directly at Moonlight. She glanced at all of the enemies, and placed a hand on her ear. Where the hell was her ear piece? She always had it in. Even when she...goddamn it Shadow. Now if that wasn’t irritating enough, when she looked down at her wrist, she found that her communicator wasn’t there. She groaned, “And I left it in the room because I didn’t want to hear Shadow. Or call him for help. Amazing.”  
“Wow. And you’re supposed to be one of their top agents.”  
“Such a clever insult. I’ll have to write that one down. Anyway, is there anything else you’d like to threaten me with?”  
“Oh I’m so glad you asked.” She pulled her own gun out and motioned towards a small vehicle a little way down the street. “I’m gonna need you to come with us.”  
“...you know I’m not gonna do that right? Even if you all have guns, and have the capability to shoot me right here, I’m not going.”  
“Really? You’re really going to be that stubborn?” She scoffed.  
“I’m known to be that way.”  
Shadence grew silent, and looked around at her comrades. Moonie raised a brow at her, “Is there a problem?”  
“Shut up!”  
“You need me alive, don’t you?”  
Shadence growled and motioned one of her colleagues to walk over. He stood behind Moonlight and pointed the gun at her back. Moonlight began to get a bit nervous, but kept her composure. “Oh. How fun...”

Shadow walked down the street, drumming his fingers along railings and street poles. He lifted his head and looked across the street, seeing the cafe, and Moonlight with a man and a woman. He stopped to get a closer look, and felt his heart drop.  
Almost as if on cue, Shadow had instantly appeared next to Moonlight and grabbed her hand before disappearing with her to an unknown location. They had ended up in an alley. Once they made sure they were a safe distance, he let go of her hand and looked at her. “Are you alright?”  
“Yeah. I’m fine...” She grew quiet. He told her that he wasn’t going to follow her. But, she had to give him the benefit of the doubt. He saved her life again, so why not repay him by taking another step in forgiving him. As much as it sort of pained her to do so. “...thanks Shadow.” He was about to check again, but froze. He had to be hearing things. Did she just, acknowledge him? Better yet, did she actually thank him? He looked back at her and blinked. “Um, sure. No problem.” He took a peek of their surroundings, and motioned her to follow him. They eased into a crowd of people that happened to be passing by the alley, and made sure to keep their heads low. “How come you didn’t call me? Where’s your communicator?”  
“I forgot it in the room.”  
“And your ear piece?”  
“I forgot that too. Even though I usually sleep with it in my ear.”  
“Oh, so you’re saying it’s my fault?”  
“A little bit, yeah!” She yelled quietly.  
“You’re not supposed to sleep with that thing in your ear! Especially when it’s activated! I was trying to help!” He exclaimed.  
“Listen, since you don’t have anything to use to contact me, and I know that you don’t want to go all the way back to the hotel to get them, I’m going to have to stay with you.”  
“Fantastic.”  
“Don’t get all fussy with me alright? I’ll make it bearable and stay quiet. I’ll be a silent bodyguard.” They ended up in a salon, and the patrons all turned to look at them. One woman greeted them with a warm smile, “Welcome! Are you here for an appointment?”  
They looked at each other, and Moonlight smiled back. “Yes! I need a dye job done. But nothing ya know, permanent.”  
“Alright. Just take a seat over there and we’ll be right with you dear.”  
Shadow quietly followed behind her, and Moonlight sat down in one of the salon chairs. A woman walked behind the chair and gasped. “Your quills are beautiful! And I love the black tips! Are they naturally like this?”  
“Um, yes. And, thank you.”  
“You’re welcome. And this color is so pretty. Are you sure you want to get rid of this pretty blue? What’s the occasion?”  
“Well...” Moonlight grew quiet.  
“Parents irritating you?”  
“No.” She chuckled nervously.  
“Friends talked you into it?”  
“Uh, no.”  
“Bad break up?”  
Moonlight looked over at Shadow, who decided to walk back and keep watch near the door, but had overheard what the woman had asked. He glanced at her, and stayed quiet. It was sort of a way to tell her to not bring it up. Moonlight sighed, “Yes.” Shadow rolled his eyes, and brought his attention back to the window.  
“Aw. I’m sorry dear. Was it fun while it lasted?”  
She scoffed, “Please. It didn’t even last very long. We shared a kiss, decided that we should get together, and literally after a month, he leaves me. For an entire year, might I add.”  
Shadow was listening, but didn’t intervene or look over to make it look like he was. The woman sucked air through her teeth, “Oh. That’s bad. Why did he just drop you like that?”  
“I have no idea, and I still don’t know to this day. I mean, seriously? If you really wanted me, and wanted me by your side, then you would’ve at least given me a heads up about leaving, and held off the relationship until you got back! I don’t know! Just something so that I don’t think you’re leaving me, or just wanted a little fling and went about your life!”  
Another hairdresser beside her overheard her and raised a brow, “Wait, did you two...ya know, before he left?”  
“Oh no! No no no no no. We almost did though, and after he left I felt like that’s all he wanted from me.”  
Shadow wanted to speak up about that, but now was not the time. He was just going to have to explain when they were alone. But, still, it hurt him to hear that she felt that way all this time. The women around her didn’t make him feel any better about it. “Wow. He sounds like a complete ass.” She looked over at Shadow and smiled. “You’re a good friend for helping her out.”  
He turned towards her and smiled. “Just trying to make her feel better. Ever since she told me what he did to her, I’ve been disgusted with his actions.” The woman snapped her fingers repeatedly, “Absolutely dear.”  
The other hairdresser leaned over and nudged Moonlight. “And hey, since that other guy didn’t work out, you could spark somethin’ with dark, brooding, and sexy over there.” Her statement made her chuckle nervously, and avert her eyes from her. Well that made the atmosphere between them even thicker than before. Shadow didn’t acknowledge the woman, and only looked back at the window. But, a very faint smile and a shade of pink did appear on his face at the thought. The silence was broken by Moonlight’s hairdresser, “C’mon in the back sweetie. All we gotta do is add the dye, style it, and you’ll be all set girlie.”  
As Moonlight walked with the hairdresser, Shadow continued his watch for any signs of Shadence and her lackeys. His focus was broken when one of the other hairdressers approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You okay honey?” He nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. She chuckled, “Guess ya don’t talk too much. Well, while your friend is getting fixed up, why don’t we treat ya to something while ya wait?” He was going to refuse the offer, because there wasn’t anything they could really do. His quills had a mind of their own, and if somehow styled in a different way, it never looked right, or he was mistaken for a certain blue fool. But, he couldn’t turn it down. It was on-the-house, and they were trying to be nice. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “I guess that would be okay. But I should warn you that my quills are a bit of a hassle to tame.”  
“Oh nonsense honey. All we’re gonna do is spruce them up a bit. The way they’re styled is unique and fabulous, so I don’t plan on messing with them too much. C’mon in the back with me.” She grabbed his arm and guided him to the back of the salon.

It didn’t take very long for the woman to clean up his quills, and he was back at the front door keeping an eye out. “Hey honey! Wanna see your friend here?” He turned and felt his face quickly heat up. His cheeks were red and his ears were standing on end. Moonlight’s fur was now an ebony black, her hair pulled into a high ponytail, and her bang was gelled back to reveal her whole face. She smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror. “This looks great! I love what you did with my quills too! Nice job!”  
The hairdresser giggled, “Aw shucks dear. I’m glad you like it. And it looks like dark and brooding is diggin’ it too~.” Moonlight looked over at Shadow, who still had his reaction plastered on his face. A faint shade of pink spread across her cheeks, and she chuckled nervously. “Uh, yeah. I’m, uh, glad he likes it too.” Shadow finally noticed how long he was staring, and broke his trance. He cleared his throat and averted his gaze. “Well, um, ehem, yes. You look, very nice.”  
“...thanks.” she smiled. She rummaged through her pockets and pulled out her wallet. “So how much do I owe you?”  
The hairdresser shook her head, “Not a thing dear. This makeover was free of charge.”  
“Oh but I have to give you something for an amazing job. I wouldn’t feel right leaving without paying in some way.” Moonlight gave the woman a few bills. “Oh! Dear I can’t take all of this.” She tried to give some money back, but she pushed the money back into her hands. “Please. I insist.” The hairdresser smiled and pulled her in for a hug. Although happy to receive such affection, Moonlight felt as if she was strangling her a little bit. “May Chaos bless you dear!” Shadow had noticed and couldn’t help snickering at the two. Moonlight noticed and rolled her eyes at him.

When the hairdresser finally let go of her, they exchanged farewells and Shadow and Moonlight left the salon. Shadow noticed that the sun was beginning to set. He tapped her shoulder, and she looked up at him. “What’s up?” He motioned to a bar that was coming up. “Let’s slip in there for a minute. We can wait for a call from the chief there, and immediately get to work right after.”  
“Good idea. Especially now that Shadence knows that you’re my partner, we’ve got to stay outta sight as much as possible.” He nodded and they quickly walked towards the building. Once inside, loud music filled their ears, and the smell of food and booze made their mouths water slightly. Turns out the bar was a nightclub, and tons of people were dancing, drinking, smoking, or anything to take their mind off the day. The two found a place at the bar, and scanned the room. It was a bit dark, but it seemed like there weren’t any signs of Shadence or her “friends”. But they couldn’t be too careful. Moonlight leaned over to Shadow, “I think we should have distance with each other while here. We don’t know who’s watching, and us being around each other might be a risk.”  
He nodded and pushed himself out of his seat. “If you run into trouble, give a signal like...like this.” He scratched behind his ear, and she nodded. He made his way to the booths that resided on the outer edges of the dance floor. Moonlight stayed at the bar, making sure that her disguise kept her unrecognizable and ordering a drink to blend in. Shadow had done the same, and was watching the other patrons. He would steal glances at Moonlight from time to time, and she would notice, but she thought it was he was keeping an eye out for her. As long as she didn’t know the real reason behind his actions, it was fine.

The music began to slow down and people started slow dancing and winding down. Moonlight sipped her drink and watched them. A faint smile spread on her face at the sight. She thought it was cute to see the patrons so happy. Shadow was watching as well, but ended up staring at Moonlight with the same look. He wished he could ask her to dance, but they were technically working. Plus, he doubted that she was going to yes. He was still on thin ice, but that didn’t stop him from thinking about it. He noticed that her expression quickly changed to shock and her face grew red. She quickly turned around, and he raised a brow. He looked back at the crowd, and noticed the dancing had taken a very...suggestive, turn. His face grew red as well and he quickly picked up his menu and distracted himself with putting something in his stomach. Moonlight read over her menu as well, but she was interrupted by a voice. “Great choices right?”  
She looked and noticed a guy had sat down next to her. She smiled, “Yeah. I really had to choose wisely on what I wanted. Everything looked amazing.”  
“And they are. That drink ya got there is one of my top five. What made you choose it?”  
She shrugged, “I wanted somethin’ light, and I love mangoes.”  
“A woman of culture. I like that.” He nodded. He then extended his hand, “Fabian.”  
“Azure.” She shook his hand. Shadow had been watching the whole thing as soon as he heard her speak. He narrowed his eyes and clenched the menu. He couldn’t help but be jealous. He was trying to get back in her good graces, maybe even get something more, but that might not happen if other guys like this one continued to come along. He watched her body language and overall behavior with Fabian, and quietly wished he could just send him away already.

“Hey, do you maybe wanna dance?” Moonlight wasn’t very surprised by the offer. She set down her glass on the counter and rested her chin on her hand. “I’d love to, but I’m not much of a dancer. So why don’t we just sit here and talk some more, hm?” She placed a hand on his thigh, and his face grew pink. They continued to talk, and Shadow grew more pissed off with every second that passed. He grew enraged when she looked entranced by his sorry excuse for chest fur. But what he didn’t know was that Moonlight was testing Fabian. So far, he’s gotten a negative score on everything. She giggled at his joke and lifted herself off of her seat. “C’mon. I’m gettin’ really bored here, so why don’t we get outta here?”  
“Sure. I couldn’t agree more.” Fabian got up, took her hand, and headed for the door. Before they disappeared, Moonlight scratched behind her ear. Shadow’s eyes grew wide, and he quickly ran after them. He made it to the door and noticed they had stopped at the entrance to an alleyway. He casually walked up to them, and listened in on their conversation. “Now I know I had it with me in the club...”  
“Maybe it’s back inside. We can check if ya want.” Fabian noticed Shadow, and moved to the side. Shadow glanced at Moonlight and she motioned to him with her eyes. Quickly, Shadow grabbed Fabian and dragged him into the alley. Moonlight looked around just in case anyone had just witnessed what happened, and followed after seeing that the coast was clear. Shadow had Fabian pinned against a wall, and he was actively trying to break free from him. “Try not to struggle. I’ll only make him hold on tighter.”  
“What the hell is this?!” He grunted.  
“Cut the shit already. The whole time you thought you were buttering me up, I had already figured out that you were lying about a lot of the things I talked to you about. So, I’m only gonna ask this once: where is Shadence?”  
“I don’t know who the hell you’re talking abo-ACK!” Shadow made his grip tighter.  
“She said she wasn’t going to ask more than once, so you better answer the question.”  
“I’m telling you that I-RGH! Empire City Tower! For fucks sake Empire City Tower!” Moonlight snapped her fingers, and Shadow released him. Fabian groaned in pain, and the two stood over him. Fabian growled, “You fucking bi-” He was cut off by Moonlight waving her hand over him. He noticed that every time that he tried to speak, nothing would come out. She sighed, “Can you contact the chief? We need to make sure that this one doesn’t get back to Shadence.” Shadow nodded and picked up Fabian while contacting the chief. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Shadow had the right move earlier that day, and she was thankful that he was there with her all day. If it wasn’t for him being here, she’d be in some trouble tonight.

G.U.N agents arrived and picked up Fabian, and the chief called from Shadow’s communicator. “Great work you two. We’re sending a surveillance drone to the tower now. As for you, I suggest that you relax a bit more before we make our next move.”  
“You got it chief.” The screen closed and Moonlight ran her fingers through her quills. “Thank Chaos that’s over.”  
“Really? I thought you two looked cute together.” Shadow grinned.  
“Ugh, don’t even go there.”  
“Well you were rubbing all over his chest fur and thighs.”  
“Please. I wouldn’t really call that chest fur. There was barely anything there.” He chuckled and gave her a few pats on her shoulder.


	3. LTNS (4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making progress, but people keep getting in the way.

They walked back to the hotel, and once back in their room Moonlight collapsed on the bed. Shadow had grabbed the menu for room service since they never did get a chance to eat. He sat on the couch and skimmed the menu. Moonlight looked up and noticed what he was doing. She felt her own stomach growling, and decided to lift herself up and walk behind the couch. She peeked over his shoulder, and scanned the options herself. Shadow had already been aware of her presence and chuckled. “See something you want?” She narrowed her eyes at him, but pointed to one of the options.  
“Alright. I’ll make the call.” He picked up the phone, and she slithered back to the bed. She decided to dig around in her suitcase, and head for the bathroom. “I’ll be in here if you need me.” He nodded, and watched her slip into the bathroom. Someone from the kitchen finally answered the phone, and Shadow placed the order. It didn’t take very long for the food to arrive, but Moonlight was still in the shower. Or bath. He didn’t know which one. He looked back and forth from the door and the food. He decided to take this time to set up the food to look nice, and at least get the bottle he ordered on ice. He then knocked on the door, “The food’s here.”  
“That quick? Alright I’ll be out in a sec.”  
He sat on the edge of the bed, and grabbed two glasses as he waited. She came out in the middle of him pouring his own glass of wine. He noticed her and looked up. He froze. They were never intimate in the past, so he never saw her in certain...attire. He thought that she must be doing it on purpose, but he knew her better than that. They definitely weren’t on those types of terms. She managed to snap him out of it when his glass started overflowing. She quickly handed him a towel, and he placed it down. She rubbed her neck nervously, “Um, what’s all this?”  
“I was um, just, uh...” He tried his best to word his explanation without trying to sound like he was trying to get in her pants. She was a bit skeptical, but ended up sitting across from him. He grew more nervous, and quickly handed her the other glass. “Uh, sorry. I-I promise I’m not trying to pull any moves or anything! I just thought that after a long day, ya know, we deserve a bit of peace. Even though you’d probably rather spend it with someone other than me. But, I...yeah.”  
She was hesitant, but she did place a hand on his. He looked at her, and she gave him a faint smile. “No need to explain. Thanks, for this. And for earlier today...” Shadow almost took ahold of her hand, but felt like that was a breach in boundaries. He smiled, “Of course. Gotta make sure my partner stays safe.”  
“I really do appreciate that. So, Fabian. Although he’s on Shadence’s side, had to admit that he was cute.” She took a sip of her drink.  
“Not funny.” She chuckled and took a bite of her food. The dinner was nice, and Shadow couldn’t have been happier. He missed making her laugh, and just talking with her. The more they talked, the more guilty he felt for leaving her. Maybe...maybe he could try something. He watched her pick up the dishes and put them on the kitchen counter. He couldn’t help but stare at her. It wasn’t like he didn’t feel guilty for doing it, but he couldn’t stop. When she turned around he brought his gaze to something else. He thought she didn’t notice, but she did. Even if he tried to lie about it, she would know that he was and is lying. But, she did want to test it. Just to see if he would try. “You okay? What’s up?” He stayed quiet, and his face grew a deep red. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “Um, well, do you always wear things like that to bed?”  
“Oh. Uh, yeah. I just like the way they feel.”  
“Well, it um, it suits you very well.”  
“Thanks, I guess.” The air between them grew a bit tense. He cleared his throat, “Um, could you come sit? I need to talk to you about something.” She nodded and walked over. She sat down and tilted her head slightly. “What’s on your mind?”  
“I wanted to speak to you about the conversation you had with the hairdresser earlier today.”  
She averted her eyes, “Oh yeah...that. Listen Shadow, I was just angry and I-”  
“You had every right to say what you said.”  
She grew quiet, and he took her hand into his. “Moonlight, I just wanted to make sure that you knew that when we got together, I never wanted-” Shadow was cut off by the shattering of the balcony door. He quickly grabbed her arm and they dived to the other side of the bed. Footsteps grew louder and softer as whoever broke in made their way around the room. Shadow peeked over the edge of the bed. No one was around, so he had to be quick. He took her hand and they ran out the door. They headed for the lobby, but they were surrounded by more people. They aimed their guns, and they had the woman at the front desk bound to a chair. Moonlight raised her fists, and Shadow hooked his arm around hers. “Do you think HQ is compromised? Maybe that’s why we weren’t warned ahead of time.”  
“Could be. See if you can get a signal when you can.” He nodded and watched the barricade of people split to reveal Shadence on the other side. She stepped forward and the barricade closed behind her. Moonlight groaned, “Ya know, I’m really getting sick and tired of your bullshit. It’s ten at night! I wanna sleep!”  
She scoffed, “Do you think I give a shit? You two are getting in the way, and I’m tired of your bullshit. So, be nice, and come with us. I’m tired too.” She motioned to the armed men surrounding them, “I really don’t want to have to give them the order. But, I will.”  
Shadow growled and was about to advance on her, but Moonlight stopped him. He looked back at her, “What?” She didn’t answer, only casting a shield around the two and giving him a smile. “Now you can go.”  
He smiled back and charged at Shadence. She gave the signal to her men, and they didn’t hesitate to shoot. The bullets bounced off their shields, and Shadence took a punch to the face. She growled and tried to scratch Shadow, but he dodged all her attacks. “Chaos spear!” He blasted her, and she was knocked into her wall of men. Moonlight was throwing men across the lobby, and keeping an eye on Shadow. Shadence quickly picked herself up and charged towards Shadow. He dodged her and ended up back to back with Moonlight. She looked over her shoulder, “Wanna switch?”  
“Yeah. I could do that.” He shrugged. They quickly took each other’s places and Moonlight raised her hand to stop Shadence in her tracks. She was surrounded in a blue aura, and in seconds she found herself flying into one the many walls of the lobby. Moonlight was already using quite a bit of her power holding up the shields, so in consequence her power was draining quickly. Their shields began to fade, and Shadow had noticed she was beginning to struggle against Shadence. But before he could help her, both were shot. The shields had disappeared, and they were left open. Shadow had been shot before, so the pain was very familiar. However, the after effects were completely new. He felt his chaos energy draining quickly. It was hard for him to breathe and he could barely stand. Moonlight had felt the same way, plus her magical energy being drained along with chaos energy she had. She had passed out on the floor. Shadow crawled towards her, but one of the men stomped on his back and applied pressure to make sure that he couldn’t move. Shadence wiped away the blood that dripped from her nose, and walked over to Moonlight. She smirked and kicked her in the stomach. Shadow growled, “Don’t you fucking touch her! Get the hell away from her!”  
Shadence chuckled darkly, “Aww. How sweet. But, no. You see you two forced my hand. You could’ve just listened to me and willingly followed my directions. But no. You guys are two peas in a pod. Two stubborn, dumbasses.” She snapped her fingers and one of her men picked up Moonlight and threw her over their shoulder. Shadow clawed at the ground to try and break free, but the man pressed his foot down and hit him over the head with the blunt end of his gun. Shadence laughed and walked over to him. She knelt down and lifted his chin. “Huh. Those bullets really did a number on you. Eyes faded, you can barely move, and little miss princess over here completely shut down! Damn.” She let go and flicked his forehead. “Guess I can tell the doctor that they were a success. Alright, let’s go. We’ve got what we needed.”  
“No! Stop! Put her down God damn-AGH!” The man pressed down one more time before leaving him on the ground. He activated his communicator, and the chief appeared on the screen. “Shadow? Shadow what the hell happened?!”  
“No time. Send someone. Please...hurry...”  
“Shadow? Shadow?! Damn it someone get to their location!”


End file.
